Keeping things straight - literally!

What is your advice as far as aligning elements on a page? Is there a tool or trick to keeping items straight?

I've been known to use a good old-fashioned ruler but most times my layouts don't have elements that need to be straight. A lot of times I even slant my photos or use different angles so I don't have to worry about it. Good luck!

I just eyeball things until I like them

2nd for the ruler. lol but I gave up on getting things straight a long time ago.

Stand up over your layout as you place things on....helps a lot.

I use a C Thru T-square Ruler. It's awesome. Runs about $3.00.

Rulers, grid paper or a mat with a grid always help me line things up perfectly.

I use an 18" x 3" clear Fiskars ruler with markings every 1/8".

I use the same ruler as aqua - love it.

If making letters with my cricut I lift my letters directly off the mat with the big paper still there onto drywall tape.

The letters are perfect when they are cut - even and spaced. When I lift them from the same spot with drywall tape they stay that way. If one lifts a little wonky I set it back into the space it came from and lift it again.

THen I glue then or stick to typing paper and take to crop and glue it.

THe drywall tape is loose woven and you can see through it.

I put the glue on the back of each letter and put the drywall tape where I want it. I normally use the clear ruler on the bottom of the letters.

THen I lift the drywall tape up and the glue on the letters keeps them in place.

I can evenly and straightly glue in 5 minutes the type of titles it used to take an hour or more to space and make even.

Wish there were a way to do this with my Slice!

• Here Kitty Said:

yeah me too unless I really wanted it to be straight I use a ruler or sometimes I go at an angle... makes it more fun

I use an old fashioned sewing seam gage. They have a sliding piece that you can move up and down the ruler, it works perfect for me. The only drawback is that they are only 6 inches long. I've never needed anything else, it is big enough. I use it to make sure my pictures, ribbon, titles ect are straight. You can buy them anywhere they sell sewing supplies. I would have to say, it's in my top 5 tools I must have to scrap.

I have 2 interlocking rulers that have slides on the with little laser lights in them-- I couldn't wait to get them yet I rarely use them-- I just eyeball or use my TH ruler-- I love Henri's idea of the drywall tape and I am sure I will use it!
Thanks Henri! AGAIN!

I have a friend that is very obsessed with making things straight and she uses what we call her "Boomerang"
Right angle By Pam In TX

As for me.... I eyeball most everything but for the occassional straight line I use my Club Scrap clear grid ruler

Thank you all! Henri, once again, you come up with the creative genius response, lol!

For those of you who use graph paper, how does that work? I mean you can't see through your LO onto the graph paper. (Hope that made sense.)

I had a border strip or some such that I was trying to align, so I figured if the side of the strip was alighed with the edge of my page, it would go on straight. No such luck. I always feel like my first layer of paper (over the base CS) is a little skewed -- enough to look sloppy, not enough to look artsy. Maybe I should just start skewing everything!

Oh, I like the sewing ruler idea! And the boomerang thingy...I hate when things aren't straight and I think these would be easy solutions for me to use! Thanks! Great topic!

I eyeball things as much as possible, but honestly with letters, I often place them askew on purpose.

I eyeball things too. Eyeballing wont work if you have multifocal glasses tho or when yer prescription shows a high axe rate.

I usually get things perfectly straight, I'm known here by me mum's friends for being picky perfect about things to be straight n stuff lolol

I have a large self-sealing craft mat with lines ruled on it. If I want things to be lined up on my LO, I put the LO on the craft mat, line the edges up with the craft mat, and use a long ruler to join up the lines on the sides. It's quicker than measuring.

I tell people that my stuff is straight they just need to stop tilting their head when they look at it lol

• RedSquirrel Said:

I do this, too-- Love the large mat with the grid!

I've used a piece of paper and utilized the grid on the cuttingboard too, but for the most I've embraced the non-straight, off center, slightly out of kilter way of life, and I'm ok with it.

• must_love_paper Said:

LOL

I decided a long time ago that if something ends up crooked I just tell people I intended it to be that way. Or I blame it on my vertigo.

If I'm applying ribbon or setting paper or borders etc. I line things up on my cutting mat with the grid (has magnets too to hold things in place). However, if I'm doing letters, I usually just eyeball it and sometimes put them askew on purpose.....

Alison

I do what everyone else said.

Rarely I use a ruler or square.

Mostly I just wing it. My motto, "if it looks straight, it IS straight."

Most of the time I can eyeball it but if my T-square ruler is close by I'll grab that. Especially if I'm trying to draw a straight line. It's very quick and easy.